Chapter 2: Beginnings
A few days earlier...
As he got off the plane at Heathrow airport and felt the sudden drop of air temperature coat his body in a layer of cold, it wasn't long until his body heat began to warm up the thin layer of fur that covered him. He put on the long, brown trenchcoat and made his way to collect his luggage.
Half an hour later he appeared outside the complex, there was no-one to meet him. There never was. He hailed for a taxi driver to drive over and pick him up. He wore his gloves and pulled the cap down on his head to conceal his blue appearance. All this to avoid any confrontations he may have with the humans that littered the roads and pavements. After he dropped the suitcase into the boot he climbed into the backseat and ordered the minicab to take him to his home outside of London. The smell that filled the cab was a nauseating mixture between curry, lager and cigarette smoke, most probably from the previous customers. Will rolled down the window and looked up into the clear nights sky. He would have been able to see the stars if the streets had not have been filled with such bright streetlamps.
The motorway was crowded with lorries and cabbies, transporting everything from Supermarket food to drunkards searching for yet another pub to quench their thirst for alcohol.
As the taxi drove up the gravel-coated pathway to his home he could see lights on indicating his mother was still awake. He got out and pulled his luggage from the back of the black Mondeo.
"That'll be Sixty-two fifty, mate." said the strong London accent, as Will reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He counted out seven £10 notes and gave them over to the big, bold man. As he awaited his change, he noticed how the moon reflected brightly from the dark-skinned mans head. Will's hand was filled with a variety of coins and the driver made his way back down the road in his black car. He counted the change and noticed something,
"Typical, the tight bastard short-changed me." He muttered to himself as he watched the greedy cab driver turn the street corner.
He turned around and made his way back to the house. Having reached into his pocket he pulled out the single front door key. He unlocked the door and made his way inside. The house was the same as it was when he had left two weeks earlier. He took the luggage upstairs and into his bedroom. He decided to unpack later and went into the study only to find his mother working. She was reading up on some old notes from previous jobs she had done for her employer; Eric.
"Back already?" She exclaimed without taking her eyes off the paper.
"Two weeks not long enough for you?" He retorted, knowing how much she enjoyed her privacy. She replied with a cold stare, and then began reading again.
"Did you get what it was you were after?" Raven asked trying to convince him of the lie that she actually cared.
"Sure did, they're things of beauty too." He replied looking back down the hallway to his bedroom door. "Would you...like to see them?" He asked hopefully.
"Not right now." She responded quickly. Mystique continued: "I'm busy searching for something, so if you could..." She made a motion with her spare hand signalling for him to leave. He squinted and turned back to the hallway. He went back downstairs and into the kitchen, he made himself a quick sandwich and thought back to his holiday in Spain. He had been staying at his mother's villa in the small town of Moraira, located in the south of the country. He had gone there for one thing; guns. He had an acquaintance in Moraira that was similar to himself, although this person's abilities were different.
Isidro was his name. It was supposed to mean 'Gifted with many ideas', this name was right for him, as he made a living from making any idea that was presented to him. In Will's case a pair of guns.
Will had met Isidro five years back. Will's mother had just bought the villa and decided to take him there as a rare treat. On the first evening they went into the local town for dinner but ran into some trouble, a group of men had been drinking too much and noticed the true colour of Will's skin. They began to make a commotion about it escalating until they threatened to kill him, at this point Raven deactivated her own power and revealed to the men that she was a mutant herself. They approached fiercely and Raven pushed Will behind a car, this was when a boy that had been watching grabbed Will and took him to the safety of his fathers shop. Will watched in horror through the window as Raven exchanged hard blows with several of the men. When Will's eyes caught the glimpse of a pocketknife he began to scream to his mother in an attempt to warn her, but the double-glazed glass muffled his words to an extent that they were inaudible. He concentrated all his attention on his mother. He wanted her to turn invisible and run to safety, as the knife-wielder advanced Will's concentration grew until suddenly the men stopped in their tracks. There heads looked around rapidly as if trying to find something, at this point Raven had realised that her son's gifts were finally awakening from the X-gene. She used this time efficiently and took down all four of the men. Afterwards she walked into the shop and collected her son from the strangers, Will had already made plans to meet with this new boy the next day. They then walked back to the villa and rested.
Will cleared away the plate and made his way upstairs and back to his bedroom. As he walked across the landing he noticed his mother was still reading. He got changed and readied himself for bed. Sleep slowly gripped a hold of him and he slept with ease.